W126 sel Cracked Anti-Roll Bar!

[mercdoogie]

Help!

My '89 420 SEL was in having a near side front caliper replaced about 3 weeks ago. After this, there was a strange, but quiet clonk when going over speed bumps (for example) - and what sounded like a cv joint when pulling away and turning (obviously it wasn't that!). I assumed it was a bush or similar.

A few days ago, my anti-roll bar snapped - big bang when pulling onto the motorway.

I've been quoted £450 for parts and about £300-500 for labour to replace this - is this right?! It may not be worth doing if it is this price.

Do you think the caliper replacement made the condition worse?

If I remove it completely, is it OK to drive (I know it's an MOT fail)

Thanks in advance....

 

[jonnyboy]

Could be coincidental. May have been slightly cracked but any leverage on the caliper/hub made it worse.
The fact that it was 3 weeks ago puts you on a sticky wicket I think.
Do not drive without it. It's there for a reason.
You could source a s/h one but fit with new bushes?
Welcome btw.

 

[219]

I'd expect to pay £10 or at most £20 for a used ARB . Bushes are cheap as chips ( £5 or so each new ) and you might have to undo something like eight bolts to do the job .

The money you are talking about is well into rip-off territory .

If I still had the 420 I broke , I'd have GIVEN you the bar !

 

[mercdoogie]

Thanks guys. I'm going to get it back up the road to sunny Stewarton from where it's lurking in Glasgow then have a look myself.

Pontoneer - the advice I was given by the garage guy was that it was a massive job to replace the arb etc etc. I've read similar on other forums, that it's a 15 hour job. Is that not the case?

 

[219]

Ah - you're local !

There's a very nice Nautic Blue 500SEL sits in Stewarton , I pass it most days .

If it is the front ARB , I can't see it being all that big a job ! Without checking , I'd expect a mount on the underneath of each chassis leg , and an attachment somewhere around the lower wishbone ?

BTW , 126's do pop up fairly regularly in the local yards -

Barry Devlin , just down the road from you in Knockentiber had a 420SE in until recently , Shewalton Autobreakers over in Irvine have had four in over the last year or so .

There might still be a 500SEL in Clydebank Autobreakers , which is off Halley St in Yoker. , and Renfrew Autobreakers had a 500SEC very recently which might still be there .

 

[219]

Pontoneer - the advice I was given by the garage guy was that it was a massive job to replace the arb etc etc. I've read similar on other forums, that it's a 15 hour job. Is that not the case?

Wow !!!

I just went out and took a look to see what might be so complicated - and , just from a quick look by torchlight , I see !

Instead of the usual arrangement with the bar passing across and underneath the two front chassis legs , just behind the bumper , as on numerous other Mercs I've removed them from , the 126 ARB goes backwards from the upper end of the suspension and passes through the inner wing , crossing between the two engine bulkheads and passing under the fusebox , brake servo , duovalves , heater pump , ABS control unit , and finally the battery before reaching the other side !!! You might also have to take one or both front wings off to slide it out sideways ( that , at least , is easy ) .

I know that at least some of the forward bulkhead can be removed - I'll need to have a better look in daylight to see what I make of the job .

Just hope neither of mine ever break - but they are very sturdy looking things , hard to imagine how one could break !!!

I can hardly imagine any part on the car which would be harder to replace .

 

[219]

Just from visual inspection , the ARB's on my 500SEL and my 280SE don't look any different - so I'd guess that you would get away with one from any W126 .

Since both of the cars which might be breaking locally are 500's , you should be OK with a bar from either of them . Stripping a used part from a scrap car would be a good practice run before starting on your own car . I still wouldn't expect a used bar to cost a lot , and would fit all new bushes for all the likely cost .

 

[mercdoogie]

Yeah, that's what I was told, a very involved job and likely to be pricey. There is a part that can be bought from the states that is welded onto the end (at the narrow part where it has broken - so obviously a regular thing) so I'm going to look into that first. The rest of the arb is fine, just this broken end.

Yes, the blue 500sel is nice ... mine is identical and only round the corner! (well once it's back from town it will be).

 

[bolide]

Where has it snapped? On an arm or in the middle?

If it's snapped in the middle could you not find a tight-fitting piece of steel tube to feed the ends in to and weld it in place? Sounds a bit pikey, I know, but the proper engineers on here will know if it's doable

Race car ARBs have a tube with square ends and two link arms with a square hole in which are fastened at either end. The link arms are made to size & length - job done. So as long as the parts are sufficiently strong & well-engineered it will work

Nick Froome

 

[mercdoogie]

It's snapped on the arm, right at the end where it joins the top suspension arm. The part I was looking at earlier is at http://www.baumtools.com/pdf/MB_Suspension.pdf and it's item QP1000.

 

[bolide]

If you can fit one of those without dismantling the whole car then there's your answer

It wouldn't surprise me if the other side went quite soon afterwards. I imagine there's some corrosion and that's the weak point

Nick Froome

 

[mercdoogie]

Yeah, you;re probably right. They don;t appear to ship to the UK so it might be a bit of a trial to get the part... anyway I think that's what I'll do.

 

[219]

I see you've got your car back - looks very nice !

 

[mercdoogie]

Thanks! Glad to have the old boy home The part from the US is now ordered and I'l let you know how the fix goes.

Was that you I saw on the M77 heading near Glasgow tonight at about 5pm ... dark grey/black sel? .... I dunno, I've started stalking W126s!

 

[219]

No , not me .

I usually pass your way in my little Fire Brigade van !

I do have the 199 blue/black SEL as in the picture . There's another one the same colour in Johnstone ( still for sale , I think ) .